


What Just Happened?

by grey_waters



Category: Civilization (Video Games)
Genre: Civilization V (Video Game), Espionage, Gen, Mild Language, Politics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28356711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grey_waters/pseuds/grey_waters
Summary: Earth in the year 2047 is far from peaceful. While several wars rage on, the civilizations scheme and manoeuvre to achieve their goals. But when Darius of Persia achieves an unexpected victory, everyone stops to ask... what just happened?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	What Just Happened?

It was a cloudy January day in London as Elizabeth read through her reports. Catherine's plotting against Augustus again - _no surprise there_. No point in telling Augustus, he can fight her off if she tried another war. Recon subs report no significant progress in Trifecta War - _as expected_. With the way Augustus, Oda and Bismarck went at it, she was surprised they hadn't run out of money yet. And Oda was also plotting against her - _damn bastard, he'd get whooped again if he tried_. She scribbled a note - _check supply limit and budget, can we get any more troops on the border?_ The navy was already plenty big to prevent encirclement. Besides, it was unlikely that Oda would declare war on her when he was already fighting the Trifecta War and Wu Zetian. Another note - _send recon sub to check on Zetian_. Elizabeth had no love for the sneaky empress, but she was keeping Oda occupied.

Elizabeth put aside the espionage reports and looked around for the city-state diplomacy reports. That infernal Maria Theresa was on another diplomacy streak, no doubt trying to challenge Elizabeth's eventual election as World Leader. _Let her try! England was slowly acquiring more and more allies, and eventually she will win the vote-_

"My Queen!" yelled her secretary Charlotte, bursting into the room. Elizabeth looked up and was about to speak harshly when the secretary continued "Turn on the news! Any channel!"

Elizabeth grabbed her remote control and flicked on the television, which was already set to York National News. The normally unflappable news anchor, Thomas Sottors, was wild-eyed and hurriedly speaking:

"-and our field reporter has just arrived at the launch site, apparently open to the local public. Going live."

The handheld video field was showing an empty rocket launch pad. A giant screen was set up near the launch pad and was playing a video of-

"Darius?" _That cowardly island-dweller? What the hell was he doing?_

"...as I speak, the Horizon has already cleared Earth's orbit." boomed the deep recorded voice of the Persian leader. "I am sorry, my citizens, that the exact date of the launch could not be known to you all. And that I could not say good-bye personally. But the enemies of Persia may have tried to destroy our project. Rest assured that Persia, that humanity, is safely on the way to Alpha Centauri."

Elizabeth was in shock. "Charlotte!" she snapped. "Get me info on the Persian space program!" Charlotte ran back to her computer. Elizabeth turned her attention back to the television screen, where Darius was going on about the perseverance of the Persian spirit.

 _How the hell did this happen?_ Darius was irrelevant, with a medium-sized island all to himself and no expansion onto other continents. How did he build a ship to Alpha Centauri, and how didn't she-

"I found something, my Queen!" gasped Charlotte. She beckoned the ruler over to her computer, where a scanned copy of a report was displayed. Elizabeth leaned in and began skimming through the report. Filed 2013. Diplomat reports Persian scientists are conducting tests with rockets designed for long-term space travel. Whispers of plans to colonize other planets. 2013... back when it looked like Augustus might finally destroy Bismarck. She groaned as she read her spymaster's evaluation: _"Cannot spare agents to covertly probe Persian technology without taking away manpower and resources from city-state influence efforts. Consultation with Department of Flight called rocketry "experimental" and space colonization "a fantasy". Recommended priority level: Low."_ And below that, her own writing: _"Agree with above. Diplomat continues as usual; no agent reassignments. Priority level: Low. HM the Queen"_

There were a few more files below, but Elizabeth was jolted by the ringing of her desk telephone. Charlotte rushed over and looked at the caller screen. "Department of Flight, my Queen." she said. "Department of Intelligence on hold- and a Persian diplomat also just on hold."

Elizabeth sighed. "Put the diplomat through. Then out of the room." She strode over to the telephone and hit the desk button to lock the door. She rubbed her forehead.

_A spaceship to Alpha Centauri, right under all our noses... how did Darius pull that off?_

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! This is my imagination of what it's like when you're pursing a scientific victory, you're in the late game, the computer civs are all fighting each other, and you're just trying to complete the spaceship. Except this is written from the perspective of a different nation, after the spaceship is launched. Darius got his Science Victory, but Earth is still going...


End file.
